“France and Ukraine have signed what both leaders called a historic defense agreement covering the procurement of 100 Dassault Rafale fighter jets, along with new air defense systems and drone capabilities. The signing took place on November 17, 2025, at Villacoublay Air Base, where French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the tarmac. Zelenskyy described the deal as historic and said it will significantly strengthen Ukraine’s combat aviation and air defense network as it continues to face sustained Russian missile and drone attacks.” (11/17/25)
“How should we understand the character of the American political present? Are we living through the radical transformation of American democracy into a competitive (or even uncompetitive) authoritarian system? Or are we merely experiencing the fulfillment of longstanding antiliberal and anti-democratic trends in American politics in general and the Republican Party in particular? Or do we merely find ourselves at a rare (but nonetheless democratically legitimate) moment of rapid constitutional evolution to the right after nearly a century of consistently leftward shifts?” (11/17/25)
“Humanity is just now hitting its stride, or at least we’re threatening to. We approached it before World War I, then suffered through a long, ugly period. More recently our leading edges have started to push through the thorns and weeds, and there’s a reasonable chance that we’ll make it this time. But even if this attempt fails, one of the generations that follows us will make it. Post-primate society is coming; it’s only a question of when. This is certain because the development of mankind, of the human race, has been nothing short of spectacular. We have risen so fast that any other conclusion must stand upon gloominess and depression. The long-term record is clear.” (11/17/25)
Yesterday was a “zero-dollar day” in our year-end Fundraiser, and we’ve had more of those than usual so far this year. Our total remains (as of about 5am Tuesday) at $1,190.84.
Our goal is $5,501; once we’ve raised $2,750.50, supporter GL has pledged to “match funds” for the rest.
But we have to raise that FIRST $2,750.50 to get the SECOND $2,750.50.
Anyone out there? Anyone reading? PLEASE SUPPORT THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S DAILY NEWSPAPER!
I’d go on for longer, but I’m writing this from my family’s new (to us) home, on a small laptop screen (we’ve barely begun moving and my home office isn’t set up yet). So one more time for emphasis: PLEASE SUPPORT THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S DAILY NEWSPAPER!
“The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is set to end all flight reductions at major U.S. airports in the wake of a lengthy government shutdown that caused aviation chaos over the last few weeks. On Sunday, the FAA issued an order to end the reduction of ‘operations at certain airports by 3 percent’ and reinstate ‘normal operating levels’ by Monday at 6:00 a.m. … The FAA and Transportation Department had previously said flight reductions would go down from 6 percent to 3 percent over the weekend at 40 major airports.” (11/16/25)
“The natural home for this work is a biomedical journal. There is zero chance, however, that a paper would be accepted by any conventional journal. Why? Because the results are earthshaking, as stated in the title. This post is technical, but the preamble is not. For the non-academic reader, the preamble will serve two purposes: 1) to share an interesting story about the evolution of this work; 2) to give a simple summary of what I found. So, stay with me at least through this section.” (11/17/25)
“Thai rangers have arrested two men suspected of being part of an international wildlife smuggling network, the military said Saturday after they were intercepted in a car carrying 81 macaques near the Cambodian border. Thailand is a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers, who often sell highly-prized endangered creatures on the lucrative black market in China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. A patrol stopped the vehicle on Friday afternoon in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo province, where troops found the monkeys stuffed into blue net bags. … The soldiers also seized methamphetamine pills and crystal meth, though no quantities were specified.” (11/17/25)
“Obtaining a judgment against the federal government under [the Federal Tort Claims Act] is difficult in virtually every circumstance, and [Michael] Flynn’s case is deeply flawed. So why is the Trump administration so eager to settle? Following his prosecution, Flynn ingratiated himself with Trump by being an outspoken proponent of the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. … By all appearances, as a reward for his loyalty, the Trump administration is poised to pay Flynn millions of taxpayer dollars to resolve a case that, at present, he cannot even convince a court to consider on the merits. Trump is also seeking a large settlement from the federal government. Like Flynn, Trump argues that he was subjected to malicious prosecution during the Russia investigation. He also argues that his privacy rights were violated during a search of Mar-a-lago in 2022. But Trump is seeking a much larger payout of $230 million.” (11/17/25)
